


A New Dawn

by Moonknight1314



Category: Thomas Sanders
Genre: Angst, Darkness, Gen, Possibly AU, The summary might be tricking you, There might be gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-04-06 12:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14057403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonknight1314/pseuds/Moonknight1314
Summary: The day Thomas Sanders was born, the world was given a gift filled with joy, creativity, logic, anxiety, sleep...





	1. Introductions

Like a dreamless night, the space was void of all emotion, thought, and matter. Beep! A small blue light shimmered in the darkness. Beep! The light and noise grew steadily as it moved along the outline of what appeared to be a maze. Soon, the void became a room. This room was mapped with bookshelves and intellectual quotes littered the walls. The light darkened to a beautiful navy as it intensified and gathered at the center of the room. Higher and higher it stretched as it formed into a body. The beeping was now like a drumbeat, quickening in pace until it became one. There was a mighty implosion and the room was left in darkness.  
The blue light slowly appeared on the wall and formed a computerized face. The figure in the center of the room looked up curiously. "H-hello?"  
"Welcome." The wall spoke with a voice that gave off neither emotion or gender. "Welcome to your new home, Logan."  
The body, clad in a neat polo and blue tie, seemed to be captured by the name and instantly adjusted the glasses to sit on the bridge of his nose. "That name is quite... Adequate." Quick tie adjustment. "Why am I here?"  
"You are the human embodiment of Thomas' brain, though he is a child, you will be needed to express his logical thinking."  
"Of course." Logan gave a small nod. "I will undertake this task."  
*****  
The night sky shimmered above a calming meadow. A small dog ducked in and out of the tall grass as it hopped along. A small star hovering above the horizon glistened as the dog gave a small bark. The crickets chirped as the fireflies flickered; an owl flew high above the meadow, gracing the sky with it's mighty silhouette. Nature's music echoed with peace through chaos.  
The star, now a light blue, began to grow and soon was forming into a body. The dog, curious by this, sat in the grass and watched as the body grew. Clad in a blue shirt and a grey cardigan, the figure wiggled him nose to adjust his glasses.  
"Hello!" He knelt down as the dog came bouncing over to him. "What's your name?" He was embarrassed to be talking to a dog but was instantly surprised when the dog started talking back.  
"Hello, Patton." She tilted her head and encouraged him to pet her. Speaking in a sweet, sincere voice, she continued, "You are Thomas' morality; his beautiful heart, and you will be the source for his many complicated feelings."  
"Ooh! That sounds so fun! I can't wait to meet this kiddo." He continued to pet the dog, completely oblivious to the beckoning door growing in the field beside him.

*****  
"All the worlds a stage..." Shakespeare's words echoed through the empty theater, reaching every corner and ricocheted back to the still body sitting in the center of the theater. The body was apparently unconscious and completely unaware of the actor on stage. Completely offended by this, the actor, dressed in white and draped with a red sash, crossed his arms. "Remy..." The actor called calmly. "Wake up, sleepy!" REM slowly opened his eyes and drowsily looked at the man on the stage. A deadly staring contest, lasting for an uncomfortably long time, left the room in a dreaded silent. The drowsy Remy stared unblinkingly until he was deemed champion as the actor looked away, defeated.  
"Roman, I understand that you are the creative side, but I still need beauty rest."  
Roman looked back up, smirking slyly. "I think you look fine."  
"No, I look like Thomas on a study night. Let me sleep." He set his head back on his bent arm and tried to once again reach the level of serenity only found through sleep.  
"Whatever, Sleeping Beauty." Roman rolled his eyes and continued to preform Shakespeare.  
*****  
Darkness surrounded the body in the corner. He was hugging his knees to his chest, trying to keep the small amount of comfort he could reach. "No, you can't go through with that. What if people see? What about them judging? Don't do it, it isn't worth it." The stranger clad in black was muttering this continuously to himself as tears dampened his sleeves. Repeating this warning seemed to bring him more pain than peace. He was truly lost in himself.  
A cold, empty light reached towards him as the door to his empty room opened. He slowly looked blurrily over his crossed arms and instantly was filled with a false hope.  
"Hello, Virgil." The voice was calming but Virgil knew is was the same old trick he had given into time and time again. For some reason, he couldn't help but welcome the stranger. "I heard you... talking... from my room, down the hall. Are you upset?"  
"So what if I am?" Virgil snapped and instantly built walls around his heart, hiding the pain within. "I don't need your help, Deceit."  
The stranger, now revealed completely, smirked, his yellow eye glistened from the scales on his face. "That's not what you said before. Come on, Virgil, I won't bite." He extended his hand towards Virgil and waited patiently.  
Virgil turned his face away, hiding the small tear sliding down his cheek, a soft purple light reflected in the tear but was dowsed as the tear was absorbed into the shoulder of Virgil's jacket. Standing up slowly, he turned back towards his guest and gave an odd smile. "Fine. Lead the way." He took Deceit's hand and they walked out of Virgil's room and the door closed with a click.  
Inside the empty room, a bright blue light started to form the shape of a door against the far wall. A cheery man, clad in a gray cardigan, looked around and shrugged. He ducked back into the door and the frame melted back into the wall.


	2. Loosing Strength

Virgil looked around the hall and was in a haze as Deceit led him past door after door. The doors, though similar in form, reached out with a lust for warmth, a want for strength that would never be fulfilled. One of the many doors opened and a freeze stretched past Anxiety and wrapped around him, giving him a cold embrace. There was a wicked laugh that echoed through Virgil’s head and he woke up from the trance.  
He looked down at his hand that was half covered by Deceit's gloved hands. “Deceit, let go.” Anxiety pulled his hand free and stopped walking. “I don’t want to go in there.” He pointed down the hall to the door that they had been heading to.  
“Why not?” Despite his uncaring nature, Deceit was genuinely asking. “There is nothing to worry about, Virgil.”  
“There are so many eyes, so many people watching me and judging my every movement- my every word. I cannot face them again.”  
Deceit looked at Virgil curiously. “Listen to me, I will not leave you alone in a situation like that, trust me, Virgil. You are not defined by Thomas’ anxiety.”  
Anxiety looked at his feet and rocked from his heels to his toes. “Fine, Deceit, I trust you.” He followed his companion like a shadow as the door opened. Silence pushed past the bodies and filled the room with an uncomfortable silence. Figures draped in blacks turned their hooded faces towards the newcomers and Virgil tried not to have a panic attack. "Hello." Deceit said, grinning wickedly. "Welcome to the party.  
*****  
Patton smiled warmly at the little Golden Retriever as they walked over to the door. “Where does this door lead, Kiddo?” He stroked the wood and felt an unexpected warmth.  
“Patton, I cannot follow you any farther, the rest of the journey is yours and yours alone." She affectionately licked his hand and gave a soft nod toward the door. "It is your choice. You can venture forward or stay in this land of lost memories. Goodbye, Patton." The dog gave a final whimper and hopped away, ducking in and out of the grass.  
"Alright, Patton, you've got this." He took a deep breath and felt his heart leap with excitement. Grabbing the door's handle, he twisted and opened it to see a long, bright hallway.  
'That's new.' He thought and took the first step on the new floor. Pulling the door closed behind him, he looked around and saw hundreds of closed doors. Many of the door's led to empty rooms, but those with residents radiated with a warmth. As Patton neared the door closest to his room, he could hear cheerful music. He opened the door to find a man with regal stature singing along to the music.  
"Hello!" He said cheerfully and flinched as the music came to an abrupt stop.  
The prince turned around and looked so confused, Patton had to giggle. "Hello small... Dad...guy. what are you doing in my room?"  
"Well, I was walking around outside and could hear the music. I didn't know what it was so I decided to come on in a investigate." He looked so proud and Roman was a little more at ease. "I'm Patton, by the way."  
"Roman."  
"Nice to meet you, Roman!"  
"Yeah, nice to meet you, too..." Roman looked around awkwardly and searched thirstily for a new conversation starter.  
"Well, Roman, I am going on an adventure. Would you want to join me?"  
Princey smiled. "I have never turned down an adventure. Let us go, Peppermint Patton!" He flamboyantly turned to the door and pointed out. "To the great unknown!"  
Patton smiled, overjoyed by this new friendship. "I'm coming!" He closed the door behind him and the music continued to play.  
*****  
Logan was lost in a deep state of meditation. Controlled outbursts of thought moved past his mind's eye as his breath entered and left his lungs. "Complete silence will bring more and more peace to chaos. Control the air like any thought."  
Breathe in.  
Count to 10.  
Breathe out.  
Repeat.  
"Nothing could disturb me, I am completely at peace." Suddenly, there was a knock on Logan's door. "What was that?" His peace was gone. "Who is it?" He rolled his eyes, _Yes, calling out through the emptiness is very wise in this situation._ He stood up and walked over to his door.  
An unexplainable unease rested on Logan's mind as he reached for the doorknob. The door burst open with an amazing speed and two bodies fell in a pile under the door frame.  
The one on the bottom of the pile looked up and smiled, his eyes shimmering through a pair of glasses greatly similar to Logic's. "Hi there! I'm Patton, sorry to burst in on you like this but I think I may have someone on top of me."  
The man on top of Patton quickly got up, straightening his white shirt and red sash. "Hello, nerd, I am Roman; your prince!"  
Logic was so taken aback by the intrusion that he barely had enough thought to close his gaping mouth. "I... I do not understand." He turned back to the face on his wall. "What is happening." The silence that followed was equivalent to a shrug and Logan was forced to solve this puzzle by himself. "Patton and... Roman? I'm Logan. If I may ask, what are you doing in my room?"  
"It would seem that we are lightening up this place like the sun after rain-"  
"Wait." Patton said quickly as he stood up off the ground. "You're the sun right? 'cause I'm a dad." He proudly stabbed his thumb to his chest.  
Roman slowly turned his head and rolled his eyes. "You ruined my delivery."  
"That wasn't delivery, it was Digiorno." Patton smiled innocently as Roman slowly released all the air from his lungs.  
"Wow, you are on fire, aren't you?" The prince asked, not at all trying to hide his annoyance.  
Patton looked down. "No, I don't think so. I think I'm on the floor-." Roman quickly covered Patton's mouth and looked back at Logan. "Look, we are on a quest. Would you like to join us or would you like to stay here like a princess confined to her tower?"  
Logan didn't enjoy that analogy. "Join the two most idiotic people I have ever met?" Roman looked offended. "Sure. You both are in desperate need of logical thinking, and after; I won't have to deal with you again." He grabbed a book from a bookshelf that appeared on demand. The cover read, 'How to Deal with Idiots for a Long, Extended Period of Time'. "Let's go." Logan said and they walked out into the hall. Patton closed the door behind them and smiled proudly and thought, 'and so the company grows.'


	3. Adventures of Freedom

Roman, Patton and Logan ventured down the hall. Patton skipped ahead of the others, knocking each door in turn.  
"Patton, give it a rest. Every room has been barren, what makes you think that-" Logan was interrupted by the next door opening.  
Patton jumped back in surprise as a sleepy-eyed man rubbed his eyes in the doorway. "Yes?" He looked at each of the travelers in turn. "Oh, hey, Princey." His hand drifted down to his side as he sleepily smiled at Roman.  
"Hello, Remy." Creativity smiled and he gave Sleep a bow. "Would you like to come on a quest with us?"  
Remy seemed to ignore Roman and turned to Logic and Morality. "You both look exhausted. Come on in here and rest your bones." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started texting as he walked back into the dark of his room.  
Logan and Patton looked at each other, Patton's eyes shimmered with excitement while Logan was full on dread. Roman walked between them and followed Remy, chuckling as he went. Patton shrugged and followed the prince, leaving Logan to ponder in the hall.  
"Come on, Logan." Patton's voice seemed small as he called from deep within the room.  
Logan finally convinced himself that they couldn't possibly be in any sort of danger and walked into the room.  
As Logan entered the room, he was overwhelmed by the lack of realistic proportions. Inside a space that should have taken up a small square, was a large landscape. There were mountains covered in trees; bodies of crystal water; and stretches of grass greener than emeralds. Logan tore his eyes from the scenery and saw that Roman, Patton, and Remy were all sitting on giant, red mushrooms.  
Patton patted the mushroom beside him, inviting Logan to sit with him. "Come on, Teach, this room won't hurt you." Logan blinked several times, trying to make sense of what was around him. Taking very slow, steady steps, he walked over to the mushroom and sat beside Patton.  
Roman laughed at the thought of the Brain and the Heart sharing a seat on a mushroom. "Anyways!" He rolled his eyes and smiled at Remy beside him. "Did you like my show?"  
"The show that I slept through?" Remy grabbed his sunglasses off of a vine and pushed them up his nose. "I mean, it was good, I guess." Patton smiled warmly at Logan. "Are you ok? You seem uneasy."  
Uneasy was an understatement, Logan was like a cat after a bad scare. "I-" He involuntarily shook himself back to the present. "Yes, I am fine. I just have a sense about this place."  
Patton yawned and his head slowly fell against Logan's shoulder. "What kind of... Sense?" He lost consciousness and softly snored.  
Logan looked down at Patton; though he was uncertain of quite a few things, he knew he had to stay as still as possible as not to wake the small Heart on his shoulder. Logic gently turned his head and looked at Roman; the prince was in a similar state as Patton, his head resting on Sleep. Sleep looked at Logan drowsily, his sunglasses exposing one of his eyes. A glint of success shimmered in Remy's eyes as he rested his head on Roman's, falling asleep in suit.  
Logan felt his eyelids grow heavy and he forced himself back to full consciousness. 'Don't give in.' he thought and looked around the room inquisitively. As he turned his head back to face his unconscious company, a graceful butterfly landed on his nose and looked at him curiously. Logan crossed his eyes and slowly drifted asleep, his head resting on Patton as his last grasp of freedom left him.  
*****  
Virgil looked at the each of the inquisitively, wondering eyes in the dark room, the judgement he felt amplified past reality. The pit of his stomach ached and turned as the eyes hardened. The once comforting touch of Deceit's hand on his shoulder became cold and meaningless. Anxiety opened his mouth, searching for words he knew would never come. Quicker than humanly possible, he turned and bolted out of the room.  
As he ran, the hall around him became a blur and he was left with a wild, animalistic instinct. All light vanished as he continued to lose himself deep within his mind. He turned down a separate hall and finally felt that it was save to stop running. He fell down the wall with exhaustion, weeping into his knees.  
"Calm down, Virgil, they didn't follow you." His voice was clouded by a loud, deep growl. He looked around the corner and breathed heavily. "Don't follow me, don't follow me." He searched for Deceit and was relieved to see that he hadn't followed him.  
Suddenly, a door opened close to where Virgil was hiding. A breath caught in his throat as he heard heavy footsteps reach toward him.  
"Anxiety!" The voice called through the dark and echoed back to the rough figure. "Anxiety!" He called again, and again, there was no reply. "Blast it, Anxiety..." He turned back into the room and the small amount of light vanished.  
Virgil looked at the door across from him and recognized the mirrored door of Vanity. There was a full-body mirror that reached from the top to the bottom of the brown door. As Virgil's breath slowed, he looked at himself in the mirror and felt tears return to his eyes. His dark hair was draped over his eyes, covering up the demonic black that covered the entirety of his eyes. 'I'm a monster.' he thought and shuttered from the flood of tears that streamed down his face. "I de-deserve t-to be loc-locked up." His voice was weak from crying. "I deserve this hell." 


	4. Torture in Existence

Virgil opened his eyes and blinked. He looked at the mirror and saw that the it still reflected the demonic black in his eye. Forcing himself to look away, he stood up, cracking his back as he walked. As he travelled back to his room, he heard soft footsteps coming towards him.  
He stopped and slowly turned around, only to find a dark hallway waiting for him. He continued to walk but this time with far more caution than reason.  
Nearing the door he knew protected his safe place, he turned his head slightly and heard that the footsteps had quickened.  
_Almost there, Virgil, come on! Act natural, act natural._ His eyes widened. _What's natural?_ He started to panic and was about to opened the door to safety when a yellow gloved hand wrapped around his mouth.  
*****  
Patton opened his eyes to see an upside-down Remy watching him. Blinking several times to get the sleep out of his eyes, he tried to wiggle his toes.  
Nothing.  
He tried again, and again felt nothing. It was as if his feet had been painlessly removed in his sleep.  
"Hey, Kiddo. Do you know where my toes are?" He smiled sheepishly, hiding his concern for his poor toes.  
Remy never looked up from his phone. "The mushroom ate them." There was a light clicking noise as he texted a message a mile a minute.  
Patton's smile slowly disappeared as he tried to wiggle again. He looked down- er... up- but all he could see was he stomach. Wiggling back and forth he tried to get a view of his toes.  
Unknown to the struggling Patton, Remy kept glancing at Morality over his sunglasses, enjoying his new toy. Each struggle making him inwardly laugh.  
Finally, Patton successfully got a peek of his feet. Sure enough, there was a mushroom bigger than Patton's head covering all of his feet. "Looks like I have Athlete's Foot."  
Sleep looked at him over his sunglasses. "That was really stupid, Dad Guy." He rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way possible. "Listen, I'm gonna go." His body started to fade out of existence. "I'll hang with you later."  
After Remy's body had completely disappeared, Patton could still hear the faint clicking of a text before he was left in complete solitude.  
Seconds turned to minutes as he was left alone with the light-hearted thoughts. He was completely alone and that scared him.  
Patton looked around, the emptiness giving him an uneasy feeling. He looked down at his feet and smiled at the mushroom. "Well, I guess it's just you and me, Mushy. But don't worry, I get the feeling that we are both Fun Guys."  
*****  
Logan opened his eyes to find that Patton was no longer resting on his shoulder. He looked around in a confused daze, instant fear pricked at his mind as he began to remember his surroundings.  
On the mushroom Creativity and Sleep shared, Roman was alone but he had managed to remain undisturbed. Logan realized how illogical that truly was and slowly slid off of the mushroom. He walked toward Roman, cautious of every minute change in his surroundings.  
"Roman?" He called carefully. "Are you alright?"  
There was no response.  
The final steps caused Logan's heart to jump, he quickly got control of his breathing then realized how pointless that was. His mind started racing and his heart started pounding. "Oh no."  
The prince's once white shirt was now stained red. From the look of the gash that reached through the shirt and skin, Logan knew that the blood belonged to the prince. Roman's sword was now imbedded deep within the mushroom beside him, revealing that the wound was not self inflicted.  
Logan backed away, he had been foolish enough to fall asleep, he had let his guard down and now the bumbling idiots he had chosen to protect were dead and missing. "This can't be happening." He said aloud, trying to calm himself with be sound of his own voice. It didn't work.  
"Wow, Logan. I never expected you to fall this fast or this hard. I have to say, I'm greatly disappointed." A sassy voice sounded from behind him and Logan turned around to see the culprit of this crime.  
"Let them go!" Logan yelled involuntarily. "Let the go or I swear-"  
"Go? Oh Logan, the fun is just beginning."  
*****  
"Let me go!" Virgil rocked back and forth against the bars. "Let me go; I didn't do anything wrong!" His voice broke and he fell to his knees. "I didn't do anything wrong." He sat in the silence.  
_What if I did?_ He thought and tried to remember what happened at his room. He had almost gotten the door open when a gloved hand grabbed his mouth. He figured he must have been drugged because the next thing he knew, he was in this cell with chains around his ankle and a tear in his jacket. _They always have a reason._  
Virgil moved the sleeve of his jacket and rubbed the scars on his arms. As he sat in the dark, he could hear footsteps growing closer. As the figure came into view, Virgil glared at the last but only person he expected to see.  
Looking down at Deceit's yellow gloved hands, he hissed. "I trusted you."  
"So is life, you give someone trust and they tear it to shreds. My entire persona is built on the telling of a lie and yet, you were so desperate for companionship that you followed me blindly." His chuckling cut deeper than any knife.  
Virgil jumped at the cell door, his leg pulled back to the wall as he tried to attack his capture. "Let me go, Deceit, or I swear I will kill you." Though he could not see, Virgil knew that his eyes were once again a devilish black. "I mean it, Deceit!" His voice came out as a low, loud growl and he saw Deceit falter.  
Deceit sighed, looking down at his hand then back at Anxiety, his eyes soft. "You should have cooperated, Virge." A long stick surging with electricity appeared out of thin air and Deceit touched the end of it to his prisoner's shoulder. Virgil fell in an instant, his body moving with the energy. 5 seconds passed. Then, 15. After a full minute, Deceit pulled the stick away and opened the cell door.  
Now inside the cell, Deceit looked down at the unconscious Virgil and shook his head sadly. "You really should have listened."


	5. Dream a Little Dream of Me

Virgil blinked drowsily, his eyes adjusting to the bright light. His head throbbed from a migraine that almost caused him to fall back into the subconscious. He cautiously sat up and saw that his right sleeve was rolled up. Among the numerous scars, he saw a blood spot that marked the entry point of a syringe. He carefully stroked his arm with his thumb, half enjoying the pain.  
As he closed his eyes, Virgil breathed in deeply, focusing his mind on the blood in his veins.  
Silence filled his cell. An uncomfortable, inviting silence. Virgil fell back into his back and looked up at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he turned his mind back to a time when he wasn't confused or confided.  
  
It had been a dismal, dark day when Virgil had opened his eyes for the first time. There was a soft pittering of rain that brought him an unexpected comfort. He found himself to be in a full darkness; the feeling of loneliness gone without a trace.  
"H-hello?" His voice echoed throughout-- where ever he was. "Is anybody there?"  
A minute passed and Virgil began the long process of discovering his purpose.  
Out of pure instinct, Virgil snapped his fingers and a faint, purple glow surrounded him. Like a child with a night light, he found comfort in the small glow.  
Walking forward, he headed toward a wall. On this wall, there were several empty picture frames and a small mirror. He looked at his reflection and couldn't help but feel pity. He was tiny; small enough for anyone to decide he was an easy target. For the first time, a cold fear sent shivers down his spine. "Who am I?" He thought and let his mind search for the answer.  
*****  
Roman gallantly lifted his sword for the final blow. He had fought for what felt like hours with very little to show for it. Though he could have passed out at any given time, he pushed through, wanting to give this beast a piece of his mind.  
The hideous Manicore looked at him like an injured kitten. It's eyes begging for life.  
Roman's soft heart caused him to falter. He looked at the winged lion and took pity, giving the serpent-tailed feline enough time to pin the prince to the ground.  
Roman struggled to get his arms free from under the Manicore's chest. It readied itself to devour Roman's head just as Roman's arms escaped from between the creature and his chest. He grabbed the lion's jaw and kept it's mouth open.  
"Nice try, Leo." He forcibly pushed the heavy creature aside and army crawled over to his sword. As he grabbed the hilt, he flipped over on his back and saw that the creature was gone.  
He stared up at the sky, his eyes swimming with tears from the sun. Minutes passed and Roman was about to give up when he saw a tiny black spot growing in the sky.  
As the silhoette grew closer, the prince could see that the Manicore was taking a nose-dive directly toward him.  
"Ok, Kitty Kat, let's dance." Roman got to his feet and his shield appeared with a glorious flash of red light.  
As the creature pulled out of it's dive, it's mighty wings beat the air around Roman like a wild storm. He rocked on his feet, lifting his Samuri sword high above his head. Readying to take a swing set for the underbelly of the beast, the Manicore swung it's paw at Roman. It's claws cut through the Prince's armor and cut deep within his abdomen.  
He fell over as the pain overtook him. He pressed his arm against the cut, trying to stop the bleeding. The lion-headed creature leaned in, triumph radiated from it's mind. Roman swing his sword and was instantly covered in his and the Manicore's blood.  
As Roman's head and heart finally settled down and he began to lose consciousness, he saw a second silhoette coming towards him. It was a small silhouette, one that resembled a small one-legged creature that hopped everywhere it went.  
Roman fell to his stomach, blood seeping into the grass around him. As his eyes closed, he saw the small silhouette bounce towards him.  
*****  
Logan opened his eyes as his head stung. Sitting up, he was instantly surrounded by the sound of humming. The humming grew in intensity and words started to form. "Stars shinning bright above you." Logan looked around to find Remy leaning against the trunk of a tree.  
"You're so cute when you sleep." Remy rolled his eyes and pushed his sunglasses farther up his nose.  
"Where is Patton?"Logan had not failed to notice that little Patton was not beside him. "What have you done with him?"  
"Done with him?" Remy's fingers where flying at a mile a minute as he typed. "How dare you accuse me." The man of sleep's voice was so full of sass, even Logan had difficulty computing what he was saying. "No, you idiot, I haven't done anything to them. It was their choice."  
Logan remembered the horrific sight of Roman covered in blood, laying lifeless on the mushroom. He looked to his left and was surprised to see that the prince had completely disappeared.  
"You... Was I dreaming?"  
Remy nodded mockingly. "Were you concerned for your little friends?"  
"I have chosen to protect them."  
"Great job." Remy snarled and his phone disappeared. "Are you always this bothersome?"  
Logan glared at his capture and chose not to answer.  
Come on, Nerd. I won't bite, but I can't promise about them." Remy pointed and smirked as Logan turned around.  
Behind him, terror beyond terror began to unfold. The tall grass of the meadow started to move, soft at first, then a wild shake that rumbled through the ground beneath Logan's feet. As he watched, he caught a glimpse of what was nearing. A spider that would completely engulf Logan's head, emerged from the grass with a hiss. Logan instinctively backed away, hands at the ready.  
"See you later, Nerd." Remy disappeared with a flash and Logan was left alone to sort out this problem. 


	6. Light through the Dark

Anxiety rolled his eyes at Deceit. While he had been daydreaming about the past, the liar had decided to pay him a visit. Deceit was finishing his long self-saving speech, trying to get Virgil to feel pity for him and trust him again. It wasn't working.  
"Leave me alone, Snake." Virgil hissed and turned his back to the cell door.  
Deceit softly felt the scales on his left cheek. "Virgil, please. I can get you out." His eyes blinked rapidly.  
Virgil turned his head, looking at his visitor over his shoulder. His brown eyes returned to their devilish state, this time on command. Deceit jumped back, and Virgil laughed wickedly. "Ok, Snake, amuse me. What will you do to free me." Deceit's mouth went dry. "I- I can help you escape."  
"Without _him_ knowing?" Virgil's eyebrow lifted threateningly.  
Deceit nodded nervously.  
Virgil shook his head. "That isn't good enough. Take me back to my room, without any trace. Don't send anyone after me or come visit me again."  
Deceit swallowed, his mouth scratchy from being so dry. "Ok."  
Virgil's eyes returned to their soft brown and he smiled. "Thank you."  
  
They walked past numerous cells, some vacant, some far too full. Virgil walked behind Deceit, the handcuffs on his wrists helping not to draw unwanted attention. After the long trip though the hall, they walked up to the guard by the door, who glared at them.  
"Stop." The guard extended his arm in front of Deceit, hitting his chest. "What are you doing with this prisoner?" He looked at Virgil suspiciously.  
Deceit looked back at Virgil and Virgil glared at him. Finally, Virgil rolled his eyes and walked up to the guard. His eyes flashed with a purple light and the guard shied away, pressing himself into the corner. Virgil turned back to Deceit as his eyes returned to their normal brown. "Let's go."  
*****  
Patton swung back and forth, trying to free himself from the fungus that had engulfed his foot. Forward than back, Patton started to tire from the swinging.  
Just as his head fogged over from the blood, the mushroom dropped from the vine, causing poor Patton to bump his head on the ground.  
"Yay!" He said excitedly, then he realized that the mushroom was still hugging his feet. Patton groaned from annoyance. "Ok, Patton, I know you've run out of foot and fungus related puns a long time ago, and I know that you are in a pickle-- well." He looked down at his feet and managed a smile. "Pick yourself off the ground. You can do this!" Patton's speech filled his heart with a new determination. He tried to reach the vine and was roughly reminded of the blood still traveling down from his head. Ignoring this, he reached as far as he could and his soft brown eyes glazed over with a black fog.  
Patton fell back onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. A gentle breeze brushed past the vine, causing it to wave at Patton playfully.  
Annoyance helped Patton to sit up and reach for the vine again. Time passed and his fingers grazed past his only way up. One final stretch, and Patton's fingers wrapped around the vine. His eyes flashed triumphantly and he pulled himself up onto the stripe of the mushroom. A few hops later, Patton was successfully travelling through the meadow.  
Hop, hop, hop.  
Patton smiled childishly as he traveled through the grass like a bunny. Up and down, up and down, he giggled as he created a spotted trail through the terrain.  
  
As the sun moved through the sky, Patton's feet started to ache again. The mushroom was soft enough but even it didn't help with the pain.  
Patton leaned back and fell into the grass, the sun warming his freckled face. He laid there calmly, almost completely at peace when the sun was blocked out for several seconds.  
Patton opened his eyes and saw a large, winged creature flying through the air. There was an unearthly scream. Patton jumped up from the ground as fast as the mushroom would allow and started hopping in the direction the scream had sounded.  
Patton bounced along, passing tall grass and large trees; hills and bodies of water. When he finally felt that he would never reach his destination, there was a glistening red light that blinded him for moment. He stopped hopping and saw his prince friend valiantly fighting of an odd looking monster. It was a serpent-tailed lion with the wings of a bat. _That must be what blocked out the sun._ Patton thought and he watched the fight, not knowing who to root for.  
Roman fought heroically, his shield reflecting the sun's light across the field. As he swung his sword, he made one fatal mistake and Patton watched in horror as the Manicore (as he would later find out) cut through Roman's armor.  
The prince fell to his knees, his arm pressed against his abdomen. Patton's heart felt like a brick as he watched his friend fall. _No!_ He knew it was too dangerous to go over to help while the creature stood so near. The Manicore lifted onto it's back legs and readied itself to devour the prince.  
There was a flash of crimson light and Roman's Samuri sword pierced the creature's underbelly, dowsing the prince in blood.  
Patton jumped up and saw Roman looked at him drowsily. "Roman!" He called, the prince could not hear him. "I'm coming!" He bounced over to the valiant hero and saw that he had already lost consciousness. Patton carefully lifted his friend's head to his chest and pressed his hand against his open wound. "Come on, Kiddo." Patton's eyes glistened with tears. "Don't leave me now."  
*****  
Logan lifted his arm tiredly, the rock in his hand glistened with a blue liquid. He lowered his arm, practically dropping the rock, and the air was filled with a sickening _squish._ Logan sat back on his heels and ran the back of his hand against his forehead.  
Now that he had finally vanquished the army of arachnids, he looked around and saw that he was sitting in a sea of dead spiders.  
One final shutter ran down his back and he stood above the defeated army. He walked over to a pond he couldn't remember, and looked down at his reflection. His glasses were sideways, his hair was ruffled the wrong way, and his tie was far too loose.  
He looked closer at his face and saw that his right cheekbone was lined with a ruby scrape that was dripping down to his chin. Where he had wiped the swear off of his forehead, there was a wide blue streak that he recognized to be spider blood.  
He removed his glasses, exhaustion finally over taking him. Kneeling down by the pond, he filled his cupped hands with water and washed the filth from his face.  
Logan splashed more water at his face, the feeling of his cold hands good on his warm cheeks. "I'm impressed." Logan paused as a far too familiar voice sounded from behind him.  
"Remy." Logan pushed aside his tiredness and stood to face the side who had put him in this position. "I do not feel emotions are necessary to function as a body. But I swear, I am this close to loathing you." He lifted his hand, his pointer and thumb almost touching.  
"Dang, Teach, I thought we were getting along so well." Sleep walked over to Logic's side and knelt down. Logan watched his cautiously.  
Remy quickly returned to Logan's height and gently set his now clean glasses on his face. "Listen, Lo. I was just testing you, I can't let anything bad happen to Roman."  
Logan looked at him for a moment, hand on the frame of his glasses. He looked down at the ground for a moment. "I see."  
"Please don't tell him I told you that." Remy looked down at his shuffling feet nervously.  
"You have my word."  
"Ok cool. Well, let's get you out of this spider graveyard." Sleep snapped his fingers and their surroundings started to spin.


	7. Fall of Rain

Patton's tears fell with a _twang_ against the cradled prince's armor. "Roman, answer me, kiddo." He pulled his swamped glasses from his face. "Come on!" He looked up at the sky and saw that heavy clouds were setting in. Patton's heart ached as he was cruelly reminded of the story of the rain.  
He looked back down at his friend, his soft breathing bringing comfort to the worried father-figure. "Roman, you enjoy stories, right? Well, I'll tell you one." Patton drew a shaky breath and fought his quivering chin. "There was once an elven queen whose beauty was known throughout the earth. She was a powerful leader but she shined with a great joy.  
"One day, in a battle against a horrific beast, the queen was overtaken with a fatal wound.  
"The elven army returned to the kingdom, their triumph shadowed with the dread of losing her. The elves prayed for her day and night, hoping for a miracle. However, her time had come.  
"There was a heroic prince like you, Ro, he loved his mother and queen dearly. Well, he faithfully sat by his mother's bed, knowing she was soon due to die." Patton cleared the tears from his eyes.  
""My son.' She said softly, her voice rough from coughing. 'Take care of them. They are now your subjects to watch over.'  
"The prince nodded as tears flooded his eyes. The queen drew a final, shaky breath, and her pale head fell into her pillow as her spirit left the mortal world." Patton let his tears fall, his voice was weak. "The subjects' mourning lasted for weeks. When the final tears were shed, the clouds joined together and there was a heavy rainfall that lasted for the entirety of the prince's life.  
"They say you can always tell when something tragic will happen when clouds grey with rain reached across the sky." Patton watched the sky, his heart fighting between peace and dread. He closed his eyes and a single raindrop hit his cheek. Then, a second landed on his forehead.  
Soon, Patton's hair was damp from the rain. As best he could, the little heart protected the prince's face from the cold drips. He returned his hand to the prince's chest and his heart dropped.  
_No, this can't be happening. No!_  
His vision swam in the new tears and he leaned close to Roman, his nose almost touching his face. "Roman." His little voice broke and he started to sob.  
Roman flat lined and Patton was left alone in the rain.  
*****  
Remy's heart jumped against his ribs. "Logan, something is wrong." All sass had disappeared and his eyes were swimming with worry.  
Logan turned back to his new companion. "How do you know?"   
"Roman and I are connected. I fused our hearts because he is known to be reckless. One time, he jumped off of a cliff just to save a mountain goat- a mountain goat!" Sleep laughed even though he was beside himself with worry.  
Remy's heart jumped again, this time harder as if it were struggling to live. "Oh." He pressed hand against his chest, the ache lingering. "Oh no." His blinking quickened and he turned his head away from Logan.  
"What's wrong?" Logan was struggling to sound sincere. "Remy, what is wrong?"  
"It's Roman." He turned back to his logical companion, his chin quivering and his cheeks streaked from tears. "He's gone."  
*****  
Virgil was finally back in his room, the sense of belonging caused him to smile as he closed his door. He ran his hand along the walls, the cold plaster sending chills up his fingers and through his arm.  
_Home at last._ Virgil took a deep breath and walked over to the table in the center of the room. Pushing himself up, he crossed his legs and closed his eyes.  
Peace.  
The quiet began to unsettle Virgil, he tried to clear his mind but soon found his mind's self to be in a field. In the center of this field, the grass had changed from a green to a crimson that only belonged to Royal blood. The blood was surrounding a man. Virgil took a mental note of the man's features: ruffled hair, grey cardigan, and black-framed glasses hugging the freckles on his cheeks.  
Then, Anxiety looked closer and saw that the man was cradling a prince once clad in white. The man moved his head back, his mouth forming a silent scream.  
Suddenly, Virgil's mind echoed with a cry of complete helplessness and he doubled over with pain. He started screaming as if his heart was being ripped from his chest. The man with the glasses started scratching at his chest, as if to free himself from the pain.  
Virgil's eyes fell open and his head fell to his chest. Ridged breathing shook his entire body as he tried to calm his heart. He did not understand why he was connected to the two in the field, or why he felt so horrible. All he knew, was that he wouldn't stay in his room for much longer.  
*****  
Logan awkwardly patted Remy's back as he struggled through a long hug. "Listen, Remy, I know this is troubling." Remy looked as if he were about to correct him. "But I need you to focus."  
"Focus? Focus!" His face reddened and two new tears fell down his cheeks. "This is all your fault! You brought him here, you let him explore while I was asleep. Roman died because of you!"  
Logan was surprised at this sudden outburst. "I-" he cleared his throat. "I am sorry you feel that way. However, you are acting like a complete and utter idiot. Snap out of it." He shook his head in annoyance. "Where is Roman?"  
"Hopefully heaven."Remy crossed his arms and snarled at Logan.  
That isn't what I mean and you know it." Logic pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where is he?"  
Sleep took a deep breath and shook his head. "An hour east of here... It was his favorite place." His voice broke and he sobbed into his hand.  
Logan knew he was coming across as cold, but he needed the facts to keep coming and the tears to cease. "And Patton?"  
"He's sitting in Roman's blood." He tried again to shake the feelings from his head. "He had tried to save him."  
Logan nodded. "Let us hope that he stays away from any more danger."  
"Oh yes." Remy hissed. "We mustn't let anything bad happen to your little heart. The only one who isn't of any use to us survived. Hooray!"  
Logan glared at the deranged side. "Walk." They began the process of finding the lost Morality and the Creativity.  
  
As they neared the hour, Logan and Remy stared down at the red grass in horror. "So much blood." Remy said softly and looked at the fallen Manicore.  
Logan looked around and found Patton asleep, his feet trapped within a large mushroom. "Come on." He beckoned to Sleep and they walked over to Patton.  
Remy's breath caught when he saw that Patton was still trying to protect Roman's body through sleep. He softly knelt beside the two bodies and gently set two fingers against Patton's forehead. "Wake up, sleepyhead." His voice was gruff as he tried to hide the new wave of tears.  
Patton slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Logan and Remy. Like a child, he lifted his arms up for comfort. Logan walked over and knelt down, hugging the side who had been through more than one ever should. "Come on, Patton." He said softly. "You're ok now."  
Patton started crying as the shock wore away. He started telling them what had happened to Roman and they listened intently. As soon as Remy heard about Roman's final battle, fresh tears streamed down his cheeks.  
After the story came to a close, Logan walked away to gather his thoughts. As he began to recognize the patterns, he reached deep within his subconscious to find the connection.  
He closed his eyes, greeting the dark like an old friend. Suddenly, a computerized male voice sounded through the darkness. "Hello Logan. Long time no see." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry  
> -MK


	8. Clarity and Charity

"What do you want?" Logan growled at the voice, knowing his power over the being.  
"Oh, nothing much, just my freedom."  
Logan crossed his arms, still watching the dark of his eyelids. "Maybe you should have thought of that before trying to take over Thomas."  
"What can I say, a guy's gotta eat."  
Logan's mind was going at a mile a minute. As he walked himself through the possibilities, he could hear Morality and Sleep struggling behind him. "Come on, Patton, work with me here."  
Patton whimpered as a knife materialized in Remy's hand; hungry to cut the mushroom away. "But he's my fungi friend."  
"That joke does not get better, no matter how many times you say it." Remy rolled his tear-filled eyes, hiding the fact that Patton was cheering him up.  
"Hello?" The computerized voice sounded irritated. "Pay attention to me!" It growled and Logan was pulled back to his thoughts. "I know what you are programmed to do, Logic. I know everything about you and I fear you know less about me than you think."  
Logan's metaphorical eyes were opened and the facts began to find light. "You're the face on my wall."  
"Obviously." The voice sounded so sly and Logan was instantly overtaken by a feeling of light-headedness. Closing his eyes, he tried to free himself from the voice's grasp.  
"You can open your eyes now." Logan did so, as to avoid annoying the voice any more.  
"Why did you bring me back here?" Logan asked as he looked around to find that he was once again in his room.  
"To let you think through your stupidity." Logan was angered at this claim, but he quickly gained his composure. _Arguing would just bring for truth, do not let them have the pleasure of being right._  
The room filled with an uncomfortably silence as Logan tried to understand what was happening. Logan kept thinking and thinking. He thought until his brain couldn't concentrate anymore.  
"Are you truly this dim-witted?"  
"Take me back to the meadow." The silence returned. "Did you hear me?"  
"... Yes."  
"Do as I say." Logan's voice was stern as he looked at the face on his wall.  
"Fine, I will take you back to the meadow. However, you will regret your decision."  
  
True to their word, the voice brought Logan back to the meadow. It was as if Logan had never left, Patton and Remy still arguing about the removal of the mushroom.  
The only difference was that the sky was once again a dark grey, rain falling all around. There was a streak of lightning that stretched across the sky, and Logan was mesmerized by it's elegance.  
"Logan." The voice was cold and cocky, as if it had won a war. "Close your eyes." Logan was unable to deny the order and he blinked heavily.  
As his eyes slid open, he saw that Sleep was now alone in the gloom of the storm.  
"Remy?" Logan called loudly above the wind.  
Sleep turned around and Logan saw that his neck was hosting a crimson, jagged line that reached from side to side. "Sorry, Teach." Remy looked down at the knife in his hand, his eyes full of regret. "Boss's orders."  
*****  
Virgil was in a deep state of meditation; letting his mind free was one of the only ways he could keep calm.  
Breathe in.  
Count to 10.  
Breathe out.  
Repeat.  
Virgil continued to focus on his breathing as he sat in the dark. A feeling of warmth surrounded him and he cautiously opened his eyes. Beside him, to his left, was a wooden door. He stared at it for a moment, bewilderment covering all of his thoughts.  
He got off of his table and walked over to the door. Gingerly, he set his hand on the door and was filled with a feeling of controlled chaos.  
As he forced his mind past the room's mask, he saw that there was a great sorrow that lived like a parasite on a corrupted peace.  
Curiosity finally won against his fear and Virgil opened the door.  
  
Inside, was a beautiful meadow. Virgil looked around to find mountains lined with trees, various bodies of crystal water, and tall grass that was littered with wild flowers.  
In the center of all this, underneath a tall Willow tree, two mushrooms added color to the masterpiece. The two mushrooms were housing four sleeping bodies. On one, a man clad in white, radiated with a regal stature that Virgil was instantly intimidated and irritated by.  
Beside the man that could only be described as princely, a man with sunglasses and a leather jacket was sleeping as if it was the only thing he was made for.  
On the other mushroom, a man who reminded Anxiety of a professor, wore a blue necktie with black rimmed glasses that were slipping down his nose. Beside the teacher, a small man with a freckled face slept peacefully.  
Virgil was instantly drawn toward the teacher. As he walked over, he noticed that vines had grown to wrap around each of the limbs of the men. Anxiety was instantly wise to what had transpired and he shook the professor awake.  
"Hey, Teach, wake up." _Don't let me be too late._ He waited for any sign of wake but there was none.  
Silence surrounded Virgil.  
Finally, the man slowly opened his eyes and looked at Virgil suspiciously. As he realized where he was, he sat up quickly and started waking the others from their sleep.  
"Roman, Remy. Wake up." He shook them and as the prince opened his eyes, the waker was overtaken by a relief unmeasurable.  
Virgil watched as the professor walked back over to the mushroom where he had slept. He leaned close to the last sleeper and gently woke him. "Patton, it's time to wake up."  
The final man, now awake, rubbed his eyes and seemed so much like a small child; however, deep within his eyes, Virgil could tell that he had been through a lot.  
Patton, Remy, and the teacher looked at Roman as if he were an alien. "What happened to you guys?" Virgil looked at them each in turn and, as they looked at him, saw the weariness in their eyes.  
Patton looked at his waker and waited for him to explain. "Logan?"  
Logan looked at Anxiety and sighed. "It is a long story."  
  
As Logan told Virgil what they had all been through, Patton tired and sat on the ground, he seemed wary of the mushrooms. Virgil watched curiously as Patton wiggled his toes.  
By the end of the story, Roman was in shock, Remy was teary eyed and Patton as messing with his feet.  
Virgil tried to wrap his head around what Logan had said. "Who do you think the voice is?"  
"The face on my wall." Logan said matter of factly. Anxiety shook his head, "No, Teach, it's the Boss."  



	9. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"Who's 'The Boss'?" Patton looked up from his feet and curiously watched Virgil frown.  
"He created this story and you all let it unfold. He trapped you in your minds and now you are dealing with the consequences." Virgil crossed his arms and looked at them through his bangs, his dark eyeshadow making his audience move uncomfortably. "Teach, I need to talk to you... privately."  
Logan nodded and they walked to the side, away from the other three.  
"There is no way that you walked into this trap blindly. You know who the Boss is, why are you _lying?_ " Logan took note of Virgil's pain as he spat out the accusation.  
"If you really know this man, you know that that would crush those poor fools to depression." Logan waved his hand towards the Prince, the heart, and Remy and shook his head. "I could not do that to them."  
"I thought you were supposed to be emotionless."  
"I-" Logan looked down at the ground then back at the infuriating ball of angst. "Yes." He straightened his tie.  
"Listen, Logan, I don't agree with you, but if that is really how you want to do this, than fine. I'll keep my mouth shut." He pointed his finger, almost booping Logan's nose. "But if this goes south; if your plan fails, know that the first thing after gloat will be telling them everything."  
"Fine."  
There was a moment of silence as they both glared at each other. Both were far to stubborn to break the silence.  
Finally, Patton walked over. "Hey, Kiddos." He placed a hand on their shoulders. "What is happening?"  
Logan looked at Virgil and shook his head, warning him against telling. Virgil glared at Logic and mocked him behind his back. "Hey, Patt. I've got some bad news."  
Patton looked up, his eyes full of worry. "What is it?"  
"Your dream... It was real."  
  
"That cannot be." Roman looked at Logan, hoping for even the smallest amount of logic.  
Logan pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing Patton hadn't pulled the other two into this mess. "I'm afraid it can. I felt the... "Boss" as soon as it rained."  
"Rain?" Sleep seemed confused. "What rain?"  
Precisely my point, Remy, you have no memory of the rain yet our heads are damp."   
Patton touched his head and his eyes widened. As he walked around, touching everyone's head, Logan swatted his hand away. "There has to be a way to fix this."  
"You can't change this, Teach." Virgil looked down at Patton with a masked sorrow, allowing him to move his bangs. Patton then remembered that Virgil hadn't been in the dream and moved away with reddened cheeks.  
"So, everything that happened to us in the dream... That was real?" Remy brought them back to the present. Patton sat down beside him and reached for his head.  
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Anxiety looked all but afraid.  
"Even-" Patton rubbed his hand, trying to release the sting from once again getting swatted away.  
"Yes." Virgil looked at Roman out of the corner of his eyes and his mind ran at a mile a minute.  
"So, what do we do?"  
Virgil ignored this question. "Prince Dude."  
"Roman." The prince corrected as he glared at Anxiety.  
"Whatever. Don't kill me."  
"Kill you, what do you-" Roman sharply drew in air as Virgil cut into his arm. As he looked at Virgil, he watched as his attacker's eyes turned a devilish black. "You!"  
"Me." Virgil twisted his blade and the air filled with a metallic whine.  
"What _is_ that?" Patton yelled as he covered his ears.  
Virgil lifted his knife and examined the damage. "He isn't real." Ducking, he barely avoided a punch to the face from the infuriated prince.  
"He isn't real?" Patton walked over and tried to ruffle the Prince's hair. Anxiety barely had enough time to pull him down before the metallic prince swung back around. As they fell to the ground, the little heart hit a rock, now left with a bruise the size of his fist and a pounding headache.  
Logan quickly got to Patton's side to make sure he was alright. Finding him none responsive, he cradled his head in his arms. "Do something, Anxiety!"  
Virgil looked at the other three and his black eyes amplified his emotions. As he stood his ground, the prince was becoming more and more angry.  
"Come on, Coward. Take your best shot." Virgil was uncharacteristically cocky as he egged on the metal man. "What's the matter? Afraid you'll mess up your nails?"  
Oddly enough, that triggered the implosion of anger and the robot tried to punch Virgil in the face. The agile side ducked away and came at the robot with his knife, slashing the metal with a horrific sound.  
*****  
Patton opened his eyes to find a tired Anxiety staring down at a broken body of metal and artificial flesh. He stood up, ignoring the pain in his head, and walked over slowly.  
He knelt down and picked up Roman's red sash.  
Virgil's eyes slowly faded back to their normal brown and he seemed to be struck by fear. "I-" he looked down at his hands and the knife fell to the ground with a hollow thud. "I'm sorry."  
Remy walked over to Patton's side. "We lost him again." He gently set his hand on Patton's shoulder.  
Logan looked at them from the robot's other side. "He was never back." He looked at Virgil and gave a grateful nod.  
Anxiety nodded back and looked around slowly. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly rebuilt his walls. "We better leave, it's nearly night and we have a long journey ahead."  
  
Off they went, in search for the ever shifting door that could lead them away from the cursed room. Virgil led them forward, thankful for Logan's wisdom to accompany him.  
"I'm so sick of this." Remy was drowsy with grief and tiredness and he and Patton continuously fell behind.  
"Deal with it, we can't stop." Logan barked roughly and continued to match Virgil's pace. "Where did you come from?"  
"I don't think I have to explain that to you, Logan." Virgil smirked.  
"That's not what I mean and you know it."  
Virgil sighed and pulled his hood on to his head. "Fine. I assume you know that we are in the mind of a man named Thomas." Logan nodded. "Well, we don't just represent his thoughts and emotions. If we truly wish to, we can control him. Well, every person has a light side as well as a dark. A side of their mind they hide from the world. I come from that darkness."  
Logan watched Virgil intently as he set the pieces of the puzzle in place. "How many?"  
"Thousands."  
"It's highly improbable that Thomas can truly cope with that."  
"He wouldn't be able to if he didn't ignore us. We are the fuel to his nightmares, we keep him awake at night, we... we make his life miserable." Virgil felt his shoulders fall as he spoke what he felt was truth.  
"Listen, Virgil. I-"  
Hey, I think I found it!" Patton's voice squeaked from their left. They ran over to the source of the voice and Virgil pulled the key off the string around his neck.  
Virgil pressed his palm against the wood of the door and felt the warmth. "Good job, Patt." He place the key, turned his wrist, and the door creaked open.  
Just inside the door, a man with a scaled face looked at them triumphantly. "Welcome back, Anxiety. _So_ good of you to join us." He smirked and Virgil paled. 


	10. Prisoners of War

"You have got to be kidding me." Virgil glared at Deceit. "What are you doing-" He stopped short as a pair of handcuffs were slapped into his wrists. Virgil looked down at the familiar metal and felt his heart turn to stone. His mind started to cloud over as he felt his anger well up inside of him.  
Deceit smirked at his prisoner and moved his fingers around the brim of his hat. "Come on, Anxiety, it's me. What did you expect?" A cane materialized in his hand and he twirled it around. "Let's go, losers." He turned around and led the parade of people down the hall.  
As they traveled quickly down the dismal hallway, Patton managed to catch up to the hasty Virgil. He hopped ahead and turned around, walking backwards to see his audience. "Hey, Kiddo. I have a quick question."  
Virgil tilted his head back, glaring at him through his bangs. He stared at Patton for several minutes before regaining his annoyance. "What?"  
Patton shivered at the power in his voice but pushed forward. "Ok, Kiddo, so... Who is this person we are following?" He brought his voice to his level of whispering. This volume was not very quiet, in fact, you could have been heard from across a large field of he was really trying to keep quiet.  
"His name is Deceit."  
"Well, see, I got that much... but, who _is_ he?"  
Virgil's eyes darkened and he stopped walking. "Listen Morality, I get that you are just being curious but I need you to cut that out. I don't have to explain this to you. He is a bad guy who does bad things."  
Patton's gaze fell and he radiated with hurt. "Ok, Kiddo." He walked back to Remy.  
Virgil was about to say something in some form of an apology when he felt a surge of electricity run through his back. "Hey-"  
"Mustn't stop, Anxiety. We still have a ways to go." Deceit turned around and smirked at his angry prisoner.  
"Where are you taking us?" Remy called from the back of the trail, his voice strained so he could be heard.  
"Well, I am definitely _not_ talking you to see the Boss."  
"Oh, that's good, because we don't want to find ourselves within five feet of the Boss." Patton smiled cheerfully and Remy looked at him, eyes full of pity.  
"You... You're joking-"  
"Shut up, Deceit." Anxiety snarled and they continued their journey in silence.  
Remy looked at the strange company and couldn't help but feel that someone was missing. Shrugging, he turned to Patton and they whispered cautiously, trying to figure out how to escape.  
*****  
Back in Remy's room, Logan watched as his companions and their captor walked away, completely oblivious to his absence.  
The quiet settled in and he anxiously looked around. He then realized the height of his problem. Without much logical thinking, Logan had convinced himself to climb to the tallest point in the willow tree.  
This would not have been such a big deal had he not just studied the side affects of a fall from that height.  
As he looked down at the ground, which was growing farther away by the second, he was forced to grab the branches around him for support.  
"Come on, Logan. You know that this isn't that tall, you can do this." He tried to turn around and felt for a new footing. His foot slipped down the smooth bark and he defenselessly hung by his hands.  
As he grew more and more tired, he couldn't help but think about how brave Roman would have been if he were in this predicament.  
Finally, his strength gave way and he fell from the tree. His eyes shut tight and he waited for the inevitable pain to erupt from his head.  
Nothing happened.  
Almost instantly, he felt his back hit something soft and he opened his eyes to find that he was now lying on the mushroom.  
After a moment of shock, He rolled his eyes at his own stupidity and began his journey to find the Boss.  
  
Time passed slowly as Logan began to tire from the constant change of the terrain. Tall grass turned to trees which, in turn, changed to mountains. Up and down, his path led as he searched for the end of Remy's fantasy-filled room.  
After the day had turned to night, and the night; day, His walking slowed to a stop and he looked around through half-closed eyes.  
What he saw filled him with a hope. Not far from where he stood, a small pond glistened in the sunrise's rays.  
His throat was so dry from the lack of water. He started running and soon found that he was met with a reward. Kneeling down next to the pond, he drank the sweet water and washed his face from the mud and sweat he had accumulated over the day.  
He fell back on his back and soon lost touch with the world around him.  
  
Opening his eyes to the sound of birds chirping, Logan was surprised to find that he had slept through the day and night peacefully.  
Shaking his head to get rid of the sleep, he looked to his right to find a black door beckoning maliciously.  
All he wanted to do was run the other way, but Logan knew he had to press forward.  
Standing up, he stretched out his sore muscles and brushed the leaves out of his hair. He walked over to the door and cautiously grabbed the door handle. His fingers were instantly chilled and his breath caught.  
Turning the door handle, he pushed open the door and was instantly greeted with a dark hallway.  
As he journeyed forward, he passed so many closed doors that he lost count.  
His hall met with a second hall and he was given three paths to choose from. Silence surrounded him as he closed his eyes- searching for any clues to point him in the right direction.   
Suddenly, a pain stricken cry echoed from his left and he instantly ran towards it.  
As he neared the source of the cry, he felt three light taps on his shoulder and his neck was instantly filled with pain.  
He fell to his knees.  
"'night, Teach."  
There was a second hit and Logan lost consciousness.  



	11. Change of Scenery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there is a bit of suggested gore in this chapter

Down a dark hallway, lined with doors, a horrific sound echoed against the walls. If one was to walk down the hall to find the source, they would soon realize that the sound was a scream that could only come from someone who was being forced into great pain.  
Suddenly, the scream ceased and an empty silence took all feeling from the space.  
Traveling into the room, one would find that the walls were lined with blood. The room was full of various furniture pieces no one would choose to get within 5 feet of them.  
On a table rusty from time, an assortment of odd tools glistened against the dim light.  
  
Logan was unconscious, chained to a metal frame. His arms and legs were stretched outwards and his head was limp at his chest. He opened his eyes and he tried to lift his head but he was far too weak.  
"Hello, Logan." The familiar voice echoed throughout the room and Logan managed to lift his head. Standing in front of him, a silhouette with a tilted head looked down at him. The silhoette walked forward into the light and Logan was surprised by what he saw.  
Though everyone in Thomas' mind was likened to his persona, Logan was surprised to find that the man in front of him looked like him.  
The same glasses framed his thought-filled eyes and his hair was nearly set on his hand. The difference between them was there clothes. Where Logan wore a black polo, this man wore a black turtleneck. Khaki was replaced by black, and his eyes held an evil glint that Logan had only seen once before.  
"I said 'Hello, Logan.'"  
"I heard you." Logan looked around the room to find a second metal frame to his left. A second prisoner was chained to the corners of the frame and Logan noticed that he was unconscious.  
"Then respond next time." The man hissed and walked over next to him. "You are a trouble maker, Logic. _You_ are adding unforseen complications that are incredibly bothersome."  
Logan looked at him curiously. "I could say the same for you. I have lost a friend to you because you decided we were a thorn in your side. You seem simi-clever, you could have dealt with this civilly."  
The man leaned in close to Logan's face. "But this is more fun." Smirking, he took off Logan's glasses against his will and forced his own glasses on the brain's face. "You need to see things from my point of view."  
*****  
Virgil scowled across the table, his bangs covering his black eyes. Arms crossed, he looked around the empty room. "Come on!"  
The door to his right opened and he watched as a figure crept into the room.  
"Well?" "Do not treat this lightly, Anxiety. You are a prisoner, not the other way around." The man looked at Anxiety with a powerful anger. Virgil leaned forward and smirked. "Oh, what? Am I threatening you?"  
The man scowled and stared at his prisoner.  
*****  
In some sort of living room, Patton and Remy were sitting in the corner, staring blankly at the wall.  
Patton looked over at Remy and tried his best to fill the silence. "So... Do you come here often?"  
Remy looked at him, his arms crossed. "Do I come _here_ often? Really?" He chuckled. "No, Dad Dude, I don't come here often."  
Patton smirked. "yeah, I thought not. He looked down at his feet and moved them back and forth. "Boy, I sure am glad I have feet again."  
Remy looked at the ground beside him and let his sass dissipate. "Listen, Pat, I'm sorry for trapping you."  
Patton tilted his head. "In the mushroom." Remy looked up at him again. "Upside down."  
Patton smiled kindly. "It's ok, Kiddo."  
Remy felt unexpectedly moved by the sweetness of his voice that he soon found tears falling down his cheeks. "I hate that I got you into this situation, I'm so sorry, Patton." Remy cried into his hands.  
Patton got onto his knees and crawled over to his companion. "Don't cry, Remy. It's ok." He cradled Sleep in his arms, softly shushing his sobs. As he comforted him, his eyes closed and he dozed off.  
  
There was a soft click as the door to their right and Patton slowly lifted his head from the sleeping Remy's hair. He saw a man similar to all of the beings in Thomas' mind standing in the door way.  
Patton instantly became protective of his sleeping friend and glared at the newcomer.  
The man walked forward. "Come on, Patton. It's time to get up." Patton's jaw dropped and he slowly lowered Remy to the ground, letting him sleep. Standing up, he looked closely at the man, his eyes shimmering.  
*****  
Anxiety fought the chains on his wrists as he looked around the room is a crazed state. His eyes were black and shining against the lights of the room. The man across the table smirked at him. "Well, you're not so cocky when your chained up, are you?"  
Virgil hissed and pulled against the chains. He was more like an animal than he was human. His breathing slowed and he smirked, leaning closely to his captor. "You know, for someone known as "the Boss", you really aren't what I expected."  
"How so?"  
"You're smaller than I expected." Virgil tilted his head mischievously. Looking his captor up and down, Virgil noticed that he was looking at a man similar in stature with Logan. The Teacher's polo was replaced with a black turtleneck and his glasses were slightly dimmed.  
The Boss leaned closer to Virgil, his eyes amplifying his ambition. "You know what, Anxiety, you have left a scar through my army. You're obsession of rebelling has corrupted them to the point where they have chosen to think for themselves. You know how stupid that is for them? Those idiots have no brain-no independent thought. I have no control of them anymore and it is truly your fault." The man smirked. "Are you please with yourself, _Anxiety_?"  
Anxiety smirked.  
The Boss moved back and breathed heavily. "Ok, we are going to try an experiment." He closed his eyes for a moment and the lights in the room started to flicker.  
Virgil hissed again. "What are you doing?" He watched the man angrily and focused on his chains again.  
"Showing you." The Boss opened his eyes and Virgil was blinded by a white light radiating from his eyes. "Open your eyes, Anxiety." Virgil slowly turned his head back to his captor and his black eyes met the Boss' white ones.  
As he became mesmerized by the light, he lost a feeling for the world around him.  
"I'm not the bad guy, Virgil."  
Virgil's vision washed out and he sunk into his mind. 


	12. Flashes of Memory

Logan opened his eyes to find that he was laying on a bed. The chains were gone from his wrists and he was no longer in a cell.  
Closing his eyes from the light, Logan left his awareness of his surroundings to his hearing.  
"Are you sure he's alright?" A voice that Logan recognized to be Remy's asked, there was a fear deep within his voice.  
There was a pause. "There is no way he can die. Thank you." Patton's voice lifted the darkness in the room and Logan took a deep breath. There was the sound of someone putting pressure on a cushion. Logan opened his eyes and looked around.  
There was a second pause and Logan heard feet shuffling towards him. There was the sound of someone putting pressure on a cushion. Logan opened his eyes and looked around.  
Next to the bed, Patton was gently soothing him. "Hey, Teach." He smiled softly and Logan took a deep breath. "How are you feeling?"  
"I-" Logan tried to sit up and was met with a spitting headache. "Ouch."  
"Yeah, your head was hit pretty hard when you fell."  
Laying back down, Logan looked at his nurturing friend. "How did you find me?"  
"Well..."  
"Hey, Lo." Logan looked at the foot of his bed and saw the one person he never expected to see again.  
"You..."  
*****  
The white light subsided and Virgil opened his eyes. Looking around, he found that he was sitting on a set of stairs. He leaned back on his palms and watched a man he could only reconized from his mirror, speak to a camera.  
Virgil was intrigued. He watched the man closely.  
The man was wearing a black shirt with white spots and his hair was as neat as to be expected. He seemed to struggling with something.  
_Is this Thomas?_ From the stories Virgil has heard since he woke for the first time, he knew Thomas to be judgemental and exclusive. _This man doesn't seem bad._  
Suddenly, Virgil's view was blocked by a black polo and khakis. _Logan?_  
Virgil looked to his right and saw that Roman was standing in front of a TV. As he looked at the prince, his heart unexplainably skipped a beat. Now being made of flesh and blood instead of metal and bolts, the prince truly radiated with a speeding feeling of attraction.  
Suddenly, the room filled with a childish light and Anxiety knew that Patton was standing between Roman and the man.  
_You're turn._ The Boss's voice echoed in Anxiety's head. There was a flash of white light and the other three disappeared. The man started talking about how pleased he was and how at ease his life was. That was when Virgil uncontrollably burst out.  
"Hey." He said, smirking as the man jumped away.  
"Alright, everyone meet... My anxiety."  
"Sup!" _Why am I say this?_ Virgil instantly felt like a puppet, forced to a script and unable to fight against the invisible force.  
Roman appeared again and Virgil rolled his eyes. The man was trying to get the prince to fight Virgil off.  
As the time stretched from seconds to minutes, Virgil started to loose his memory. He forgot that Roman had died in an heroic act to protect the little heart named-  
What was his name?  
No matter how hard he tried, Virgil couldn't remember. He couldn't grasp the fading memory.  
As he thought, a white light shimmered across his view and Anxiety saw a name. _Thomas Sanders_ That was the man who talks to camera's name. "Thomas Sanders."  
  
Logic was summoned onto the living room as Thomas was struggling with self-confidence. _An interesting choice._  
"Ok, so I just recently had an audition." Anxiety watched curiously from his spot on the staircase.  
"Oh yes, one of those stage productions for... Professional make believe."  
"Yes, and the audition is over."  
"It would seem so..." Anxiety snickered as he watched Logic's confusion.  
"I either get the part or I don't."  
"Yes, that's how it works. Is this new information for you or-"  
"I just want to know, objectively, how did I do?"  
Virgil became visible within a second. "You screwed up."  
Thomas gave a small startled scream. "Anxiety!" "'Anxiety, what are you doing here?'. Yes, this is exactly what you do every time I pop up, let's just skip that part. We get it, you don't want me here but I'm here. And this is what I do." There was no remorse in Anxiety's voice as he stated what he felt to be truth.  
Anxiety was beginning to become emotionally challenged as Thomas and he tried to explain to Logan why the audition went bad. It was at this point that Logan pulled him into a debate to strengthen or destroy Thomas's self-confidence.  
In the end, he had lost and instead of a feeling of self-pity, he felt a strength as he saw Logan smile at him.  
His mind swam with confusion. _Why would he like me? Why doesn't he loathe me?_  
  
Virgil sat silently on his step, his body invisible as he stayed between world's.  
Closing his eyes, Anxiety hugged his knees as he pondered his circumstances.  
Memory after memory flashed in his mind and he felt that the stairs had become a home to him. Illusions changed to reality as the character of Anxiety became him instead of a life be was force in.  
Morality, Creativity, and Logan became unexplainable comforts to him. Even as he tried to duck away into his between worlds space.  
*****  
Remy opened his eyes and realized that his hair was being stroked. Sitting up, he saw a smiling Patton looking at him.  
"Good morning, Sleepyhead."  
Remy rubbed his eyes and itched his head. "Hey, Pat." He looked around. "Wait... Where are we?"  
"We've been saved."  
"By whom?" Remy asked and a silhoette slipped into his view. His breath caught and tears came to his eyes. "You..."  
The newcomer shushed him. "It's ok, Remy. It's ok."  
Remy started crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Thank y'all so much for reading <3  
> I would love to know y'all's opinions, if you want to leave a comment :)


	13. Conclusions

"I know you have a lot of questions, Logan. I promise, I will answer them. However, I have some questions of my own."  
Logan crossed his arms, glaring at the man he had backed into the corner. "Well, I don't think you have the right to ask us questions."  
"What are you talking about? I saved you _numerous_ times, Dr. Gloom! How am I not in the right?"  
Logan was about to give a heated response to this when a rock ricocheted of his chest.  
"Stop fight!"  
The arguing two looked at Patton, his eyes shimmered sadly. Logan was about to add to his argument when Patton's eyes filled with tears.  
I'm sorry, Pat-"  
The small man ran and hugged the man tightly as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Roman! I tried to save you but there was so much blood. You died, I thought you died."  
The man softly stroked Patton's hair and a single tear slid down his cheek. "I know, Padre, I know. It's ok."  
Remy looked at them through tear filled eyes, a small smile crept across his face. "This is so beautiful."  
Logan rolled his eyes and an unexpected tear slid down his cheek. A new wave of exhaustion overcame him and he returned to his bed. "How did you survive?"  
Roman looked at the others before giving his answer. "I don't know. After I... Well, I died... I woke up in chains." His eyes glazed over as his mind traveled back in time. "There was a man. You know how I radiant with a princely stature?"  
Logan rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sure, Roman."  
"Well... As I was in his presence, I instantly felt like he was a king."  
"Like your father?" Patton asked as he eyes softened adorably.  
Roman shook his head. "No, Pat. More like a rival."  
Logan stood up as he was hit by a wave of realization. "Oh no." As he looked at the others, he saw that the world around his was turning to white pixels. "Roman. I apologize."  
"What?" Roman looked down at his hands and saw that they were slowly disappearing. "Not again." The prince looked at Remy. "Goodbye."  
Remy looked at Patton and Logan and grabbed the sunglasses from his pocket. "I knew this would happen."  
"What?" Patton looked at Sleep. "How?"  
"You guys were never supposed to come into my room." He sighed as he fidgeted with the sunglasses. "From the moment you did, you ended into a different realm."  
"We traveled in a different dimension?" Logan asked and noticed that Patton was slowly dissolving. "Patton, don't think about white."  
Patton closed his eyes and nodded. "Ok." The speed of the pixels slowed.  
"Why are you only mentioning this now?"  
"Why would I think about telling you that you were entering into the realm of sleep? Hmm, I don't know, what wouldn't I tell you?"  
"Watch it, Remy." Logan warned and glanced at his pixelating hand. "I know that losing Roman _again_ is taking a toll of you. However, you mustn't lose your head-"  
"Lose my head?" Remy's face flushed as his anger flared. "I just lost my best friend and you are implying that my reaction is immature and pointless!"  
"Logan." Logan looked over at his companion to see that he was holding his heart. "I-" The little heart tried to walk towards Logan but fell to his knees instead. Logan ran over and knelt next to his fading friend. "Patton? Listen to my voice. Hey, you are going to be ok."  
Patton smiled softly, his hand against Logan's cheek. "Ok, Teach." His voice was almost inaudible as he began to tire. "I'm sorry I couldn't save Roman." His soft brown eyes glistened with tears as he slowly faded out of existence.  
Logan's hands fell to his knees and he felt a tear slide down his cheek. Looking at Remy, he focused on the whites of his eyes and felt his body fade. "Goodbye."  
Remy looked at him sadly and nodded. "Goodbye, Logan."  
Logan closed his eyes and he departed from reality.  
*****  
Virgil woke up and slowly lifted his head from it's resting position on his crossed arms. Looking around, he realized that he was sitting at the table in the kitchen in Thomas' mind.  
"Hey, Virge!" Virgil jumped as Roman's loud voice sounded from behind him. "Sorry, did I scare you?"  
Virgil shook his head and stood up from the table. "See you later, Princey." He patted Roman's shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. As he traveled thought the shadows, a door opened behind him and the air instantly smelled like warm cookies.  
"You ok, Kiddo?"  
Virgil turned around to see Patton smiling at him. "Yeah, I'm ok, Pat." He smiled softly. "I just... I had a weird dream. I'm hoping Logan can help me see through the confusing bits."  
Patton's head tilted slightly and he softly rubbed Virgil's arm. "Want me to come too?"  
"Sure, Patton, I'd like that." Virgil's smile continued and he saw Roman peak out from around the corner. "Come on, Ro. You're involved in this also."  
  
Logan meditated from his spot on the ground, his breathing steady. As he studied his mind, a soft knock came from the door. "Come in!" _Deja Vu_. Virgil slowly opened the door and the three sides shuffled into the logical side's room.  
Virgil sat on the ground beside Logan and looked at his hands in his lap. "Logan, I... I had a weird dream last night."  
"Do tell." He said curiously and Patton and Roman joined them on the ground.  
"I saw our beginnings. How you three met." Virgil took a deep breath. "I even saw how you met me." He continued to explain his dream to them, waiting for an interruption. There was none.  
At the end of Anxiety's story, Logan seemed unnaturally unfazed by this. "Did you see the rain?"  
Virgil's eyes widened and he gave a nod off disbelief. "How did you-"  
I had the same dream."  
"Me too, Kiddo."  
"As did I... Partly." Roman grimaced and Patton gently comforted him.  
"So the Manicore and-"  
"I'm afraid so, Virgil." Logan nodded grimly. "Now, the true problem is neither of us know why we woke up."  
"I was hungry." Patton said childishly and Logan rolled his eyes.  
"I can't help but feel that there is a piece to this puzzle yet to be uncovered." Logan thought back to his doppelganger clad in black. _Indeed._ a shiver ran down Logic's back as he was reminded of the voice.  
As soon as the memory reached him, it faded from his mind as Roman broke the silence. "Well, this has truly been fun, but I must leave now."  
"Ooh! I'll go with you, Roman." Patton said as he followed Roman out of the room.  
Virgil looked nervously up at Logan. "Sorry for interrupting your meditation."  
"There is no reason to apologise, Virgil. In fact, you have brought problems to light- even problems I could not see. For that I thank you."  
Virgil found himself smiling and he stood from his spot on the ground. "See you later, Lo."  
"Indeed."  
Virgil closed the door behind him and smiled to himself.  
  
Time passed and the dream faded from their memories like the smoke of a candle. Virgil spent less time on his stairs and stopped assuming the worst (for the most part). As he and the others were summoned to solve yet another of Thomas' problems, he noticed something out of the ordinary. Thinking nothing of it, he shrugged it off and unknowingly left Logan to solve it.  
  
Logan watched an encounter between Thomas and Patton cautiously. There was a feeling like a pin deep within his subconscious, warning him that something bad would happen. As he watched, Thomas winked at Patton. Logan tried to feel the oddness of this, bur found nothing.  
  
Patton smiled warmly at Thomas and gave him a hug. As he pulled away, Thomas winked and his eye flashed with a white light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said in the last chapter, thank y'all so much! I never expected that one of my stories would explode like this. This is the final chapter. If y'all want me to continue with a sequel or write something else, let me know.   
> -MK


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